NURS 4455
NURS 4455
Module 2 Assignment 1
Organizational Analysis–Shadowing Plan
Open the Assignment document and review the instructions for “shadowing” a nurse leader in your organization.
Overview: Organizational Analysis
The major assignment for this course is analysis of an organization. You will study and report on its structure, processes, and nurse leaders. To get a glimpse of the roles and responsibilities of a nurse leader, meet with a BSN nurse leaderat least two levels above your current position in your organization and request opportunities to observe some of the tasks the nurse leader directs.
If you are unable to observe these tasks you may interview the nurse leader/manager as an alternative. Obviously, there are situations in which you will not be able to observe or participate in meetings or other events or tasks, but you should be able to work with the nurse leader to schedule an interview and at least three specific leadership tasks to discuss.
Complete this assignment to describe which organizational leader you will interview and the plans for the experience. For verification of plans and scheduling, provide contact information of the leader with whom you will be working.
If you are unable to shadow or interview a nurse leader, you may shadow or interview a leader or manager in a non-healthcare related field. You will need to notify your coach.
Objectives
• Explain how organizations function.
• Compare and contrast characteristics of leadership and management.
• Apply trends, issues, theories, and evidence as guidelines for management decisions.
• Evaluate effectiveness of communications patterns using specific management situations.
Shadowing Plan
In the space below, describe your plan for observing a nurse leader in your organization as the leader is engaged in leadership tasks. First, schedule an interview with the nurse leader (at least two levels above your current position) and record that date and time. Include descriptions of activities, your expected roles or behaviors as an observer or participant, and schedules of the activities. Explain the types of things you will be looking for and how you will record your observations. (Space will expand as you type.)
Please remember to send a thank-you note to the nurse leader you interview.
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS
Discussion Questions (DQ)
Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation
Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
APA Format and Writing Quality
Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes
I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
Lopes Write Policy
For assignments that need to be submitted to Lopes Write, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy
The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication
Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.
